Estimating the yield stress of soft materials via laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Taking three typical soft samples prepared respectively by loose packings of 77-,95-,and 109-μm copper grains as examples,we perform an experiment to investigate the energy-dependent laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy(LIBS)of soft materials.We discovered a reversal phenomenon in the trend of energy dependence of plasma emission intensity:increasing initially and then decreasing separated by a well-defined critical energy.The trend reversal is attributed to the laser-induced recoil pressure at the critical energy just matching the sample's yield strength.As a result,a one-to-one correspondence can be well established between the samples'yield stress and the critical energy that is easily obtainable from LIBS measurements.This allows us to propose an innovative method for estimating the yield stress of soft materials via LIBS with attractive advantages including in-situ remote detection,real-time data collection,and minimal destructive to sample.

Enhancing Canola Yield and Photosynthesis under Water Stress with Hydrogel Polymers

While Egypt’s canola production per unit area has recently grown,productivity remains low,necessitating increased productivity.Hydrogels are water-absorbent polymer compounds that can optimize irrigation schedules by increasing the soil’s ability to retain water.Accordingly,twofield experiments were conducted to examine hydrogel application to sandy soil on canola growth,biochemical aspects,yield,yield traits,and nutritional quality of yielded seeds grown under water deficit stress conditions.The experiments were conducted by arranging a split-plot layout in a randomized complete block design(RCBD)with three times replications of each treatment.While water stress at 75%or 50%of crop evapotranspiration(ETc)lowered chlorophyll a,chlorophyll b,caro-tenoids,and total pigments content,indole-3-acetic acid,plant development,seed yield,and oil and total carbo-hydrates of seed yield,hydrogel treatment enhanced all of the traits mentioned above.Furthermore,hydrogel enhanced to gather compatible solutes(proline,amino acids,total soluble sugars),phenolics content in leaves,seed protein,and crop water productivity,which increased while the plants were under water stress.The results revealed that the full irrigation(100%ETc)along with hydrogel compared to water-stressed(50%ETc)led to enhanced seed yield(kg ha^(-1)),Oil(%),and Total carbohydrates(%)of rapeseed by 57.1%,11.1%and 15.7%,respectively.Likewise,under water-stressed plots with hydrogel exhibited enhancement by 10.0%,3.2%and 5.1%in seed yield(kg ha^(-1)),oil(%),and total carbohydrates(%)of rapeseed by 57.1%,11.1%and 15.7%,respec-tively compared to control.As a result,the use of hydrogel polymer will be a viable and practical solution for increasing agricultural output under water deficit stress situations.

Stresses in the Scapular Fossa Do Not Exceed the Yield Stress When Elevated up to 135 Degrees of Abduction after Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty

Reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) is an effective treatment for rotator cuff tears. Despite its advantages, complications occur at a high rate. Complications requiring revision include a high rate of base plate failure, 38% of which are due to instability. The primary stability the base plate ensures is a crucial factor and, thus, is the subject of much debate in clinical studies and biomechanical research. This study is aimed to provide data that will contribute to the base plate’s pri-mary stability and glenoid longevity by clarifying the stresses at the scapular fossa and base plate interface associated with elevation after RSA. A 3D finite element model was created from the DICOM data for the scapulohumeral joint and SMR shoulder system. For loading conditions, 30 N was applied for each posi-tion with abduction angles of 0, 45, 90, and 135 degrees. A three-dimensional fi-nite element analysis was performed using the static implicit method with LS-DYNA. The von Mises stresses in the scapular fossa were found not to exceed the yield stress on the bone even after elevation to an abduction angle of 135 de-grees after RSA. It is rough to uniformly compare the yield stress and the von Mises stress, but it was inferred that the possibility of fracture is low unless a large external force is applied. A maximum von Mises stress showed 0 degrees of abduction, suggesting that the lowered position is in a more severe condition than the elevated position. If better improvement is desired, it may be necessary to devise ways to reduce the stress on the upper screw. .

Study on the Effects of Chinese Herb Additive on Milk Yield and Anti-heat Stress Ability of Holstein Cow

[Objective] The research aimed to explore the effects of Chinese herb additive on milk yield and anti-heat stress ability of Holstein cow.[Method] 36 Holstein cows with similar birth order and milk yield were equally and randomly divided into 3 groups which were control group, Chinese medicine Ⅰ group and Chinese medicine Ⅱ group. In control group, cows were fed with basic feed, while in Chinese medicine Ⅰ group, cows were fed with basic feed containing 4% compound Chinese herb additive and in Chinese medicine Ⅱ group, cows were fed with basic feed containing 3% compound Chinese herb additive.All cows in the 3 groups were analyzed comparatively.[Result] Adding some compound Chinese herb additive into basic feed would increase milk yield and anti-heat stress ability of Holstein cow,besides,it also could decrease cow diseases such as cow mastitis.Chinese medicine Ⅰ would generate the highest economic benefit of practical production.[Conclusion] Adding Chinese herb additive into basic feed is an effective way for reliefing heat stress and increasing milk yield.

Identification of Quantitative Trait Loci for Anthesis-Silking Interval and Yield Components Under Drought Stress in Maize

A genetic linkage map with 89 SSR marker loci was constructed based on a maize (Zea mays L.) population consisting of 184 F-2 individuals from the cross, Huangzao 4 X Ye 107. The 184 F-3 families were evaluated in the field under well-watered and drought-stressed regimes in Shanxi Province of China. The objectives of the study were to identify genetic segments responsible for the expression of anthesis-silking interval (ASI), ear setting and grain yield, and to examine if the quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for ASI or yield components can be used in marker-assisted selection (MAS) to improve grain yield under drought conditions. Results showed that under well-watered and drought-stressed regimes, three and two QTLs involved in the expression of ASI were detected on chromosomes 1, 2 and 3, and 2 and 5, respectively. Under well-watered regime, two QTLs for ear setting were detected on chromosomes 3 and 6, explaining about 19.9% of the phenotypic variance, and displayed additive and partial dominant effects, respectively. Under drought-stressed condition, four QTLs for ear setting were detected on chromosomes 3, 7 and 10, which were responsible for interpreting 60.4% of the phenotypic variance, and showed dominant or partial dominant effects. Under well-watered condition, four QTLs controlling grain yield were identified on chromosomes 3, 6 and 7, while five QTLs were identified under drought stress on chromosomes 1, 2, 4 and 8. The gene action was of additive or partial dominant effects, and each QTL could explain 7.3% to 22.0% of the phenotypic variance, respectively. Under drought conditions, ASI and ear setting percentage were highly correlated with grain yield, which can be used as secondary traits for grain yield selection. Based on linked markers detected and gene action analyzed, an MAS strategy for yield improvement under drought condition could be established, which consists of QTLs contributing to decreased ASI and to increased ear setting and grain yield, respectively.

Use of piezocone tests to predict consolidation yield stress and overconsolidation ratio of lagoonal deposit soil

Existing empirical methods for interpreting the consolidation yield stress and the overconsolidation ratio （OCR） in clays from piezocone tests are briefly reviewed. It can be seen that no universal correlation exists for all worldwide sites. However, for a given clay deposit, there does exist a most appropriate method to reflect the consolidation yield stress and the OCR based on piezocone test data. Three empirical methods are compared based on the piezocone test data collected on Lixia River lagoonal deposit soil sites in the north of Jiangsu province. The objective of this study is to evaluate the validity of the existing relationships linking the consolidation yield stress to piezocone test data and identify the appropriate method for Lixia River lagoonal deposit soil. It is shown that the correlation based on the net tip resistance has much higher accuracy for estimating the consolidation yield stress of lagoonal deposit soil than other methods.

Effect of particle gradation characteristics on yield stress of cemented paste backfill

Along with slurry concentration and particle density,particle size distribution(PSD)of tailings also exerts a significant influence on the yield stress of cemented paste,a non-Newtonian fluid.In this work,a paste stability coefficient(PSC)was proposed to characterize paste gradation and better reveal its connection to yield stress.This coefficient was proved beneficial to the construction of a unified rheological model,applicable to different materials in different mines,so as to promote the application of rheology in the pipeline transportation of paste.From the results,yield stress showed an exponential growth with increasing PSC,which reflected the proportion of solid particle concentration to the packing density of granular media in a unit volume of slurry,and could represent the properties of both slurry and granular media.It was found that slurry of low PSC contained extensive pores,generally around 20μm,encouraging free flow of water,constituting a relatively low yield stress.In contrast,slurry of high PSC had a compact and quite stable honeycomb structure,with pore sizes generally<5μm,causing the paste to overcome a higher yield stress to flow.

Effect of Alkali Stress on Soluble Sugar, Antioxidant Enzymes and Yield of Oat

Alkali stress can cause severe crop damage and reduce production. However, physiological processes involved in alkali stress in oat seedlings are not well understood. In this study, physiological responses and yield of oat to alkali stress were studied using the alkali-tolerant oat genotype Vao-9 and the alkali-sensitive oat genotype Baiyan 5. The results were： （i） low concentrations of alkali stress （25 and 50 mmol L^-1） significantly reduced the yield and grain weight while increased the oat grain number per spike. A negative correlation between yield and malondialdehyde （MDA） content at the jointing and grain filling stages and positive correlations between yield on one hand and superoxide dismutase （SOD）, and peroxidase （POD） activities on the other at the jointing stage were observed. There was a positive correlation between MDA and soluble sugar at the grain filling stage; （ii） soluble sugar content was increased at the jointing and grain filling stages and decreased at the heading stage by alkali stress; （iii） alkali stress increased the SOD activity during the heading and grain filling stages, and increased the POD activity at the heading stage. As compared to the control, the increase of MDA contents in alkali-treated oat was observed, during the jointing, heading and grain filling stages; （iv） under alkali stress, the oat genotype Vao-9 showed higher antioxidant enzyme activity and lower soluble sugar contents during the heading stage, and lower MDA contents than those in the oat genotype Baiyan 5 under alkali stress. The result suggested that the high ROS scavenging capacity and soluble sugar levels might play roles in oat response to alkali stress,

Influence of High Temperature Stress on Net Photosynthesis, Dry Matter Partitioning and Rice Grain Yield at Flowering and Grain Filling Stages

Climate change is recognized to increase the frequency and severity of extreme temperature events. At flowering and grain filling stages, risk of high temperature stress （HTS） on rice might increase, and lead to declining grain yields. A regulated cabinet experiment was carried out to investigate effects of high temperature stress on rice growth at flowering and grain- filling stages. Results showed that no obvious decrease pattern in net photosynthesis appeared along with the temperature rising, but the dry matter allocation in leaf, leaf sheath, culm, and panicle all changed. Dry weight of panicle decreased, and ratio of straw to total above ground crop dry weight increased 6-34% from CK, which might have great effects on carbon cycling and green house gas emission. Grain yield decreased significantly across all treatments on average from 15 to 73%. Occurrence of HTS at flowering stage showed more serious influence on grain yield than at grain filling stage. High temperature stress showed negative effects on harvest index. It might be helpful to provide valuable information for crop simulation models to capture the effects of high temperature stress on rice, and evaluate the high temperature risk.

Effect of Selenium on Root Oxidizing Ability and Yield of Rice under Ferrous Stress

To study the effects of selenium on root oxidizing ability and yield of rice under ferrous stress, a pot culture experiment was conducted, the activity of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and the concentration of malonaldelyde (MDA) were determined. The root oxidizing ability and yield characters of rice were examined. Results showed that appropriate amount of Se enhanced the activity of glutathione peroxidase and the oxidizing ability of rice roots significantly, reduced the concentration of MDA, increased 1000-grain weight of rice, F = 26.96**, decreased empty and blighted grain rate, increased the rice yield, F = 11.53**, and enhanced the rice resistance under ferrous stress.

Interactive effects of drought stress and chitosan application on physiological characteristics and essential oil yield of Thymus daenensis Celak

Thymus daenensis, a perennial herb, is often grown in areas that experience drought conditions during its growing period. Application of chitosan may compensate for the negative impact of drought stress on the yield of oil and secondary metabolites in Thymus.The interactive effects of foliar application of chitosan and drought stress on dry matter,essential oil yield, and selected physiological characteristics including photosynthetic pigments, osmotic adjustment, and lipid peroxidation of Thymus were investigated in a two-year study from 2014 to 2015. Treatments consisted of 0, 200, and 400(iL L'1 chitosan applied to plants grown under field capacity, mild drought stress(50% field capacity), and severe drought stress(25% field capacity). Dry matter yield decreased substantially as drought stress intensified. However, essential oil content increased under stress conditions,with the highest essential oil yield obtained from plants under mild drought stress. Foliar application of chitosan compensated to some extent for dry matter and oil yield reduction of plants grown under drought stress. The highest essential oil yield(1.52 g plant-1) was obtained by application of 400 \iL L_1 chitosan under the mild stress condition in 2015 when plants were mature. The compensatory effect of chitosan in reducing the negative impact of stress conditions on dry matter and oil yield was due mainly to stimulation of osmotic adjustment through proline accumulation and reduction of lipid peroxidase level, which increased the integrity of cell membranes of thyme leaves.

Estimating the average treatment effect of adopting stress tolerant variety on rice yield in China

Climate extremes, characterized by droughts and floods, have become one of the major constraints to sustainable improvement of rice productivity. Variety choice, considered as one of the main adaptation measures, could help farmers reduce yield loss resulting from these extremes. Based on a three-year panel survey of 1 080 Chinese rice farms in major rice producing provinces, we assume Hicksian neutral technology and employ an IV regression to estimate the average treatment effect(ATE) on rice yield for adopting stress tolerant variety, and find that farmers who adopted the stress tolerant variety on average increased rice yield by 15.5% in comparison to the non-adopters.

Changes in underflow solid fraction and yield stress in paste thickeners by circulation

The trouble-free and efficient operation of paste thickeners requires an optimal design and the cooperation of each component.When underflow discharging is suspended,alleviating the vast torque that the remaining solids within the thickeners may place on rakes mainly lies in the circulation unit.The mechanism of this unit was analyzed,and a mathematical model was developed to describe the changes in underflow solid content and yield stress.The key parameters of the circulation unit,namely,the height and flow rate,were varied to test its performance in the experiments with a self-designed laboratorial thickening system.Results show that the circulation unit is valid in reducing underflow solid fraction and yield stress to a reasonable extent,and the model could be used to describe its efficiency at different heights and flow rates.A suitable design and application of the circulation unit contributes to a cost-effective operation of paste thickeners.

Yield penalty of maize(Zea mays L.) under heat stress in different growth stages: A review

Maize(Zea mays L.) can exhibit yield penalties as a result of unfavorable changes to growing conditions. The main threat to current and future global maize production is heat stress. Maize may suffer from heat stress in all of the growth stages, either continuously or separately. In order to manage the impact of climate driven heat stress on the different growth stages of maize, there is an urgent need to understand the similarities and differences in how heat stress affects maize growth and yield in the different growth stages. For the purposes of this review, the maize growth cycle was divided into seven growth stages, namely the germination and seedling stage, early ear expansion stage, late vegetative growth stage before flowering, flowering stage, lag phase, effective grain-filling stage, and late grain-filling stage. The main focus of this review is on the yield penalty and the potential physiological changes caused by heat stress in these seven different stages. The commonalities and differences in heat stress related impacts on various physiological processes in the different growth stages are also compared and discussed. Finally, a framework is proposed to describe the main influences on yield components in different stages, which can serve as a useful guide for identifying management interventions to mitigate heat stress related declines in maize yield.

The Effect of Grain Size on the Viscosity and Yield Stress of Fine-Grained Sediments

In debris flow modelling,the viscosity and yield stress of fine-grained sediments should be determined in order to better characterize sediment flow.In particular,it is important to understand the effect of grain size on the rheology of fine-grained sediments associated with yielding.When looking at the relationship between shear stress and shear rate before yielding,a high-viscosity zone(called pseudoNewtonian viscosity) towards the apparent yield stress exists.After yielding,plastic viscosity(called Bingham viscosity) governs the flow.To examine the effect of grain size on the rheological characteristics of fine-grained sediments,clay-rich materials(from the Adriatic Sea,Italy; Cambridge Fjord,Canada; and the Mediterranean Sea,Spain),silt-rich debris flow materials(from La Valette,France) and silt-rich materials(iron tailings from Canada) were compared.Rheological characteristics were examined using a modified Bingham model.The materials examined,including the Canadian inorganic and sensitive clays,exhibit typical shear thinning behavior and strong thixotropy.In the relationships between the liquidity index and rheological values(viscosity and apparent yield stress),the effect of grain size on viscosity and yield stress is significant at a given liquidity index.The viscosity and yield stress of debris flow materials are higher than those of low-activity clays at the same liquid state.However the viscosity and yield stress of the tailings,which are mainly composed of silt-sized particles,are slightly lower than those of low-activity clays.

Effects of UV-B Radiation and Water Stress on Soybean Yield

Soybean Dongnong 47 was subjected to the experiments of increasing UV-B radiation and water stress on soybean yield components in different growth periods. The results showed that 100-seed weight greatly increased during the early stage of pod filling in the treatment of weak UV-B radiation, seed number per plant as well as seed weight per plant and Dongnong47 yield also increased, while the yield and yield components of Dongnong47 during the blossom to mature period were negatively affected in the treatment of intensive UV-B radiation. 100-seed weight of Dongnong47 all increased in the double factor treatments of UV-B radiation and water stress, with the drought intensified, seed number per plant, seed weight per plant and yield of Dongnong47 decreased, the change of 100-seed weight were various and the antagonistic action of UV-B radiation and water stress were related with their intensity.

Performance and yield stability of maize hybrids in stress-prone environments in eastern Africa

Identification and deployment of high-yielding and stress-tolerant maize hybrids adapted to stress-prone agro-ecologies is important for improving the food security and livelihoods of smallholder farmers in eastern Africa.The objectives of this study were to(i)assess the performance of maize hybrids under well-watered and drought stress conditions;(ii)evaluate grain yield stability of 65 intermediate-maturing and 55 early-maturing hybrids in 24 well-watered locations and seven drought stress locations;and(iii)identify representative and/or discriminative testing locations for increasing genetic gains for the target traits.There were significant differences for grain yield among early-and intermediatematuring hybrids tested under well-watered and drought stress environments.Among the early-maturing hybrids,the top 10 hybrids produced 46.8%–73.9%and 31.2%–42.1%higher mean grain yields than the best commercial check under drought and well-watered conditions,respectively.Among the intermediate-maturing hybrids,the top 10 hybrids produced 25.2%–47.7%and 8.5%–13.5%higher grain yield than commercial checks under drought stress and well-watered conditions,respectively,suggesting improvement in the levels of drought tolerance in both early-and intermediate-maturing hybrids.GGE biplot analysis and a bi-segmented regression linear method identified specific early-maturing and intermediate-maturing hybrids that performed well under both well-watered and drought stress conditions.These hybrids could be recommended for commercial production in eastern Africa.Kakamega in Kenya was found to be the most representative and highly discriminating site among well-watered testing locations,while Kabuku in Tanzania was the least representative of test locations.For testing under drought stress conditions,Kiboko in Kenya was identified as the most representative location.This information could be useful for allocating resources and streamlining CIMMYT maize hybrid testing in eastern Africa.

Evaluation of time-dependent rheological properties of cemented paste backfill incorporating superplasticizer with special focus on thixotropy and static yield stress

Superplasticizers are widely used to reduce the pipe flow resistance of cemented paste backfill(CPB), which is characterised by high concentration and high yield stress. This study aimed to assess the time-dependent rheological properties of CPB containing superplasticizer, with special focus on static yield stress and thixotropy. The results indicate that with the increase of the superplasticizer dosage, the static yield stress, dynamic yield stress and thixotropy of CPB decreased significantly, while the plastic viscosity decreased slightly. The curing time has a significant effect on the static yield stress, dynamic yield stress and thixotropy of CPB containing superplasticizer, which increase by 46.6%-87.1%,15.2%-35.6% and 79.4%-138.2%, respectively, within 2 h. The static yield stress, dynamic yield stress and thixotropy of CPB without superplasticizer only increase by 4.9%, 6.3% and 16.1%, respectively, within 2 h. The curing time has a significant influence on the plastic viscosity of CPB regardless of superplasticizer addition, the plastic viscosity increases by 13.2%-19.7% within 2 h. Regardless of superplasticizer dosage, plotting of both static yield stress and dynamic yield stress versus thixotropy produces clearly linear curves. The findings of this study are conducive to the design of pipe transportation of CPB containing superplasticizer.

Influence of chemical reaction on heat and mass transfer of non-Newtonian fluid with yield stress by free convection from vertical surface in porous medium considering Soret effect

The effect of chemical reaction on free convection heat and mass transfer for a non-Newtonian power law fluid over a vertical flat plate embedded in a fluid-saturated porous medium has been studied in the presence of the yield stress and the Soret effect. The governing boundary layer equations and boundary conditions are cast into a dimen- sionless form by similarity transformations, and the resulting system of equations is solved by a finite difference method. The results are preSented and discussed for concentration profiles, as well as the Nusselt number and the Sherwood number for various values of the parameters, which govern the problem. The results obtained show that the flow field is influenced appreciably by the presence of the chemical reaction parameter γ the order of.the chemical reaction parameter m, the Soret number St, the buoyancy ratio N, the Lewis number Le, and the dimensionless rheological parameter Ω.

On the excavation-induced stress drop in damaged coal considering a coupled yield and failure criterion

Investigating the stress drop of abutment pressure is the key to a deep quantitative analysis of the discontinuous stress redistribution under mining.In the present study,uniaxial and triaxial compression tests are carried out separately to determine the bulk and shear moduli,the cohesion,and the internal friction angle of the coal samples.By extending the meaning of Mohr’s circle referring to yield stress instead of the maximum principal stress,a yield line is introduced to illustrate the stress drop of Mohr’s circle referring to yield stress instead of the maximum principal stress at the elastoplastic boundary.Furthermore,a theoretical solution of the stress drop as a function of the damage is proposed to investigate how the abutment pressure differs considering the yield line and failure line.In addition,applying the stress drop at the yield line in non-pillar mining,top coal mining,and protective coal mining shows that the damage has a nonlinearly positive influence on the stress drop.The results shows that the bulk modulus and internal friction angle have a more sensitive influence on the stress drop than do the shear modulus and cohesion.Finally,the stress drop is divided into a discontinuous stress drop at the yield line and a structural stress drop at the failure line.The stress drop is effective in describing the discontinuous stress redistribution and shows a clear difference in the movement direction of Mohr’s circle considering the unloading pressure.